The Hero of Ferelden
by KallianTheirin
Summary: I finally decided to do my written version of my favorite DA-Origins playthrough. That's uh.. pretty much all there really is to it. Kay?Kay. IMPORTANT NOTE- I do not own or claim to own any of the characters/places/etc that belong to the creators of the game Dragon Age Origins. I'm simply a writer and fan! Thanks guys! It'd be appreciated if you left opinions, okay? Bai!
1. Chapter 1- Beginning of the End

I stood there in the midst of battle, overwhelmed by the final moment. The bodies around me reeked of victory, but the battle had not been won yet. In that moment, every single swing of a blade leading up to this moment echoed in my mind, and it made me grip the hilt of my sword to the point my knuckles stung with pain. My hair whipped across my face, but I didn't need vision to see what stood in front of me. The threat had finally emerged.

Keeping composure was becoming difficult while facing such an extraordinarily beautiful creature. Majestic and deadly, the dragon's gaze met mine and our stares locked until its mouth opened and a blaze of blue-black fire rushed over me, barely kept from burning me by my shield. The gaze of the arch-demon fell upon me again, as if it were speaking to me. It **did** speak to me; it whispered its bitter vow into my ear:

_Death is inevitable, for you and your order. The blight shall swallow your kingdom when you fall in battle, killing those you fought for. _

My ears felt hot, despite the freezing winds that bit at my skin. No training I went through could ever prepare me for this. I owed this to my kingdom, I owed this to Duncan, I owed this to my father, I owed this to everyone I couldn't save.

I started to charge, with all my power, I held my sword and with all my heart, I sprinted to my target, wanting nothing more than to slice the head off of the body that towered over mine. I gritted my teeth and let a growl rumble from my chest, filling my throat, and then escaping my mouth as a battle cry. I bounded to the ledge separating me from the enemy, and then took a leap of faith. I soared through the air with my sword at ready position. I felt the glare of the menacing dragon and the stares of the hopeful army that fought off the minions. Pride surged through every fiber of my being, knowing I would save my kingdom and send the armies of men back home to their families. I would avenge those I could not help, including **my** beloved family.

Landing on the top of the dragon's skull, and I sliced through its neck. I swung, and I decapitated it, detaching its connection with the army of monstrous darkspawn. I tucked and rolled as I landed on the roof of Fort Drakon, then I stood next to the severed head of the arch-demon. I spat on it and sneered, gripping my bloody weapon and turning it upside-down. The hilt held the shining silverite sword below, and I moved with haste. I sunk my blade into the beast's head, unleashing its soul and ending the final battle.

I fell back in a daze, overwhelmed with the joy of saving my land. Everyone cheered, with the kingdom finally safe. I stopped a civil war and ended a blight. The darkspawn retreated to the Deep Roads where they had resided before. The men let free their bursts of mixed emotions; they must have felt what filled every vein of my body. It was pure adrenaline, powered by hope, gratitude, and relief. I had accomplished what had been done four centuries ago, by a trained Grey Warden; a noble knight with battle experience, and here I was, with little knowledge of the battlefield and only a heart aching to avenge those lost.

I landed on my knees and cried, looking to the sky. I mumbled a silent prayer for my father, letting him know he had helped me every step of the way. I rose to my feet and let out the breath I held since laying eyes on the arch-demon. It was over.


	2. Chapter 2- Just A Dream

My eyes ripped open and I gasped loudly, frightened by the sensation I was falling. I took a moment to recuperate. I sighed, realizing I had another dream of the battle that still haunted me. It's been about four months now, yet I still hear the cries of the dragon's minions killing innocents. All the people I couldn't save whisper in my ears at night, questioning why we rescued the other side of the town, but couldn't reach them in time. This was becoming maddening. I can't keep my composure; restraint is tearing me limb by limb. There's only one thing to do now.

I looked around the Royal Bedroom, searching for my husband. He's not in bed with me, as usual. Ever since he became king, he's felt more pressure than ever. He's stared death in the face countless times, and then spat on death when we conquered the darkspawn in battle, yet he's still disturbed more than ever. Belief that he cannot rule as well as his father did was pinching his every nerve, but he still wouldn't listen when I tried explaining to him that no one has that expectation of him; he's a knight, and a hero, nonetheless. He's a beloved ruler, as am I.

It was no use searching for him since I knew he'd be in the combat room, taking his demons out on the mannequins called training dummies that would never put up a fight like the darkspawn did. I slid out of bed, hearing the crisp sheets crying out that I was awake and on the prowl. The cold stone against my bare feet calmed me, telling me that everything was as it should be, and I was safe and sound within the nearly indestructible castle walls. I quietly opened the door to the hall to greet the guards at the entrance to my chamber. I nodded to them with a smile for a small sign of appreciation for their service. I defeated a possessed dragon, I'm pretty sure I could handle a thief or a madman with a mace.

Walking past the kitchen doorway, I could smell the cooks preparing breakfast. It must be a bit before daybreak; it's also pretty refreshing that we'll eat actual food instead of the gruel we ate on the wild dragon-chase. I silently slipped past the throne room, careful not to wake the sleeping guard. It was nice to know they could take a nap every once in a while, as a token of thanks for the protection.

Finally, I turned left into my personal sanctuary, my study. I held my head with pride in this room. It was never possible to decided what I loved most about it, whether it was the always-warm fires in the beautiful fireplace, the smell of dust and old books- I like to call it the smell of knowledge, or if it was the blood-stained silverite sword that hung above my writing place. That sword was the very one I slayed the arch-demon with. I had it preserved with the blood still tainting the blade, just for the memory. That sword has quite the history behind it, but nothing could compare to the clean blow that cracked the dragon's skull.

Seeing the sword makes me nostalgic, wanting two things back the lit up my life more than Andraste's own light. I wanted the old adventure back, the days before the final battle; I missed all of it, except for the death of course. I wanted the traveling, the swelling of my heart when I could save a poor defenseless family from attack, and I wanted back the nation of Ferelden to be united again. I also wanted back the romance. My husband used to be my superior, and accompanied me through the whole journey. It wasn't a surprise that some point along we caught feelings for each other. Well, it wasn't surprising to the others we traveled with.

I smiled, taking a closer look at the hilt of the sword. He had carved a small heart on it before the battle for luck- and to remember him in case…he would die. I started to tear up at the thought. The heart was nearly invisible, which was also a key reason I wanted to preserve the sword. I never wanted that carving to wear away from use. How I'd love to go back to the day I first met him; that day started the whole journey…


End file.
